Making It To The 4th Second ((LXXVII)

sharonomics (61)in #sustainability • 6 years ago

Prince EA’s Epic Message Will Make You Want to Save the World | Short Film Showcase, National Geographic

Youtuber and spoken word artist Prince Ea makes a powerful case for protecting the planet and challenges the human race to create a sustainable future.

It took almost 4.6 billion years of evolution for humanity to exist, and we have been around only for a tiny fraction of that time span — about 140,000 years or so. If you condense the Earth’s lifespan into 24 hours, then we have been here on this planet for just three seconds.

Three seconds, and look what we’ve done to the mother nature. We have increased the extinction of animals by 1000 times the normal rate. Species that have been here longer than us will be gone because of us.

With the speed of destruction that our progress is causing to mother earth, can humanity make it to the 4th second?

The 4th second does not belong to us.

It belongs to future generations. We owe it to them. The right
to consume food that’s safe, drink water that’s clean, breathe air that’s free of pollutants.

Source: United Nations Development Programme

Better late than never, in 2015, 193 countries came together to do something about the sustainability of our planet. We gave ourselves 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030.

Three years into Agenda 2030, sustainability remains a far cry with a cumulative budgetary deficit of $7.5 trillion, which keeps increasing at the rate of $2.5 trillion / year. At this rate economics of SDGs appears to be impossible.

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Sustainability cannot happen without the active participation of the private sector. In other words, governments alone cannot help mankind witness, in its full glory, the 4th second of its existence on planet earth.
The good news is, the awareness is all-time high. Activism is beginning to take its roots. Young talents like Prince EA are dedicating their skills to the cause. Corporates are increasingly supporting activism. Tech companies and non-profits are coming up with novel approaches to conquer sustainability. There's hope!

Together we can make it to the 4th second.

About National Geographic:

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National GeographicNational Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure.

Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.

About Prince Ea

Richard Williams, better known by his stage name Prince Ea, is an American spoken word artist, poet, and filmmaker. After graduating from the University of Missouri–St. Louis with a degree in anthropology, he initially pursued a career as a hip hop artist.

In 2014, Prince Ea shifted his focus from music to creating motivational and inspirational spoken word films and content. His YouTube videos have received over 200 million views.

Read the original article on Medium